The New York Nine brought home some championship hardware this past weekend at the Game Day USA Super Regional. Both the Rookies and Cubs had to win three games on championship Sunday to secure the title for the Nine. The Cubs defeated the CP Queens Wolverines (9-0), Ramsey Select (9-3) and in the finals, beat the Long Island Sharks (14-3) to claim the Super Regional crown.

Tournament Notes:

Jesse Oyala led the team with 6 hits, a .545 batting average and stole 7 bases

Giovanni Bausone led the team with a .636 OBP

Josh Huerta led the team with 7 RBI and contributed a .556 OBP

Quincy Bright led the team with 5 walks and 11 stolen bases without being caught

Aidan Colasante led the team with 6 runs scored and stole 8 bases

Miguel Sime contributed a .500 OBP to go with his 7 steals

Abel Ortiz stole 5 bases

As a team, the Nine had a .483 OBP throughout the tournament and walked 19 times (and 15.96% of their plate appearances)

As a team, the Nine stole an astounding 50 bases while being caught only 4 times, good for a amazing 92.6% stolen base %

Jesse Oyala led the team with 10 strikeouts and only 1 walk in his 5 innings of 0 run ball

Aidan Colasante threw 4 innings with 9 strikeouts and no runs allowed

Jose Reyes threw 4 innings while only allowing 1 run

As a team, the Nine had a strong 2.39 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 23 innings.

The New York Nine brought home some championship hardware this past weekend at the Game Day USA Super Regional. Both the Rookies and the Cubs had to win three games on championship Sunday to secure the title for the Nine. The Rookies defeated the SFX Huskies (18-3), the BBA Blue Jays (8-0) and in the finals, beat the LI Sharks (10-0) to claim the Super Regional crown.

Championship Sunday Tournament Notes:

Mono Boutsikakis led the Rookies with a .667 batting average, an .800 OBP and an .833 slugging. He also walked 4 times, scored 4 runs and had 4 RBI

Andrew Park chipped in a .556/.667/.667 line with 3 runs and a team leading 8 RBI

Kieran Jermyn walked 4 times on his way to a .600 OBP and doubled twice on route to a .667 slugging

Nate Apolinar had a .500 OBP

Jake Towey made the most of his plate appearances with 3 singles and 2 walks in 7 PAs and made the most of his time on base, scoring 4 runs

Micah Garret slugged .700 including the teams only triple

JA Spanoudakis clubbed 2 doubles and hit .444/.500/.667

The Rookies as a team hit .439/.553/.561 with 21 walks (which comes to an astounding 20.3% walk rate)

The New York Nine Scout Team’s Leury Tejada inked his professional contract with the Texas Rangers on June 10th at the home of high school coach Jason Norman, with family and friends in attendance.

Tejada established himself as a top prep pitcher in New York City at Walton High School. In 2017, Tejada posted a 0.00 era allowing a total of three runs, all unearned, for the entire season. With a projectable thin frame and quick arm that produces low 90’s fastballs he profiles to add velocity as he adds weight.

“The Rangers got a good one in Tejada”, said an anonymous National League Scout. “He has a quick, whippy arm that has more velocity in it, and it’s easy velo. It’s effortless”.

His high school coach Jason Norman added, “Leury Tejada came to the United States in 10th grade as a wide-eyed talent who wanted to hit and play shortstop – and left school as a precocious starting pitcher and a Top 10 draft pick of the Texas Rangers. Talent alone does not tell that story. What makes Leury special is his tremendous confidence and desire to win, the athleticism he brought to the mound that was honed at shortstop and centerfield, and his ability to absorb and implement instruction. Every player who wants to get the most of their ability should take note. Leury was an absolute pleasure to coach and I have the utmost confidence that he will be a successful professional baseball player.”

The 10th round selection by the Rangers made Tejada the first high school player taken from New York City in this year’s draft. We wish Leury well and know that he will work hard and represent his family, coaches and the New York Nine in a professional manner.

The New York Nine would like to thank the 150+ people who came out on a Monday night to show their support of the organization and its players.

“It was great seeing so many people coming out to support the kids and the mission of the Nine”, stated Elmjack Little League President Robert Isea. “What a great atmosphere, seeing families just having an amazing time. And the staff of Jack’s did an awesome job serving great food to such a large crowd”.

Siobhan Sheehan, mother of Rookies first baseman Kieran Jermyn added, “What a great evening had by all for a great cause. Friends and family supporting and caring for and about each other – love my New York Nine family.”

New York Nine Cubs Quincy Bright’s father Omari said, “Last night was such an epic night! New York Nine is family; it was like going to a family reunion and meeting distant cousins for the first time! We had a ball, enjoyed Courtney, Carolann and Pete as our servers, ate amazing wings, had good drinks, and won a few prizes. What can possibly be better than this? We are honored to be a part of New York Nine family!”

In the end, everyone was about helping the New York Nine organization, specifically those players who need the assistance. This is something the Nine has been able to do since its inception in 2006. Many players have changed their future with opportunities that the Nine was able to create for them, that otherwise wouldn’t have been available.

“It was great to see the New York Nine and its extended family of supporters come through in acts of generosity towards the players of the organization”, stated Pete Spanoudakis (Father of Rookies catcher JA Spanoudakis).

Thank you to all who showed support at the event or behind the scenes. The New York Nine is proud to mentor and help develop the great student-athletes, past and present, who represent the Orange and Navy every day, on and off the baseball field.

New York Nine Rookies spent Memorial Day Weekend at the Sports at the Beach Patriotic Pursuit Tournament. Opening up against the York Young Revolution. The Nine jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as George Kyriakopoulos doubled Mono Boutsikakis home with the first run of the tournament. After falling behind 2-1, the Nine plated 5 in the bottom of the 2nd, helped by back to back doubles from Micah Garrett and Kyriakopoulos. Dylan Munoz was 2-2 with 2 runs scored. Sabin Ghale walked twice and scored 2 runs and Nate Apolinar walked, singled and scored twice. Munoz relieved starting pitcher Jack Lobrutto and pitched the Nine out of trouble in the 2nd and threw a clean 3rd inning. Lobrutto was re-entered in the 4th and closed out his own start as the Nine won the opening game by a score of 11-5.

The 2nd game of the day saw the Nine struggle to gain a foothold and got 3 hit by the Avengers. Starter Sebastian Granobles pitched better than the score indicated, but the Nine fell short, 8-0. Sabin Ghale walked two more times to bring his two game total to four.

Day 2 saw the Nine come out hot. The Nine was Led by Kieran Jermyn’s complete game effort and Micah Garrett’s 2 run home run. The Nine jumped out to a 3 run lead behind an Andrew Park single. Mano Boutsikakis had a single, 2 stolen bases and a run scored. Sabin Ghale walked 2 more times with a run scored and Jake Towey chipped in an RBI single. Ultimately the Nine beat the Devil Cats 7-1.

In the 4th and final game of pool play, the Nine needed a win to secure a playoff spot and the Nine played like it. Mano Boutsikakis threw a complete game and went 1-1 with 2 walks and a double. Dylan Munoz went 2-2 with 2 runs scored. Sabin Ghale doubled, walked and scored a run. JA Spanoudakis singled home 2 runs. Sebastian Granobles chipped in an RBI single as the Nine cruised to a dominant 11-1 victory over the Poughkeepsie Lightning.

The Nine finished pool play at 3-1 and made the playoffs as the 4th seed. The quarterfinals saw the Nine take on the Mid Penn Prospects in a close fought battle. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 4th when Andrew Park doubled and scored on a Kieran Jermyn single. Starter Sabin Ghale struck out 8 in 6 innings before allowing 4 runs in the top of the 7th. Mano Boutsikakis was 2-3 with a walk and Sabin Ghale had his 8th walk of the tournament and Sebastian Granobles walked twice. The Nine got 2 guys on the bottom of the 7th, but couldn’t push across the tying run, eliminating the Nine from the playoffs.

The New York Nine has a large and diverse alumni population and it’s not always feasible to have them come to share their story in person with the entire organization. We want to share as many alumni stories as possible. This spotlight is written by Chandler Brierley. When Chandler arrived with the New York Nine he was a tall, lanky, semi-coordinated 6 foot 5 left-hander who lacked confidence. Through his own dedication, hard work and belief in those providing him instruction, Chandler has put himself on the path to become a prospect as he hit 92 this past fall with more in the tank. The New York Nine believes in projection, patience and our organizational process, and we couldn’t be happier for Chandler and his family for his success both on and off the field.

My name is Chandler Brierley, I am into my sophomore year at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ and am majoring in Business Technology. I have been playing baseball since I was 7 on town teams, travel teams, school teams and club teams. The summer after eighth grade, once travel baseball ended, I began to play for a competitive team for players in high school. I met some great guys and had a chance to finally try my hand at pitching. I played on my high school freshman team but did not get much playing time at the plate. Coaches and teammates thought of me as a first baseman and we’re not always willing to give me a chance. It was very frustrating. Sophomore year I played JV with similar outcomes. After my sophomore year, I decided to give up basketball and focus exclusively on pitching.

As luck would have it, during my sophomore year, I was in a sneaker store and started talking to the owner. He asked what sports I played and I told him baseball and basketball. He told me about a team he was involved with and encouraged me to reach out to the team. A week or two later I was back at the store and I was introduced to Ian Millman and we spent a while talking about baseball and the team. Ian suggested I try out as it would offer me a higher level of play than I had previously experienced, not to mention the help the organization could provide with college and the recruiting process.

Not long after that, I went and tried out, made the team and then played with the organization over the next three years. I will never forget my first report day when my dad drove me to a park in Queens. I didn’t know anyone and wasn’t sure if I would play. I had my baseball bag loaded with my mitt, cleats, turfs and two wood bats. The coach walked over to me, introduced himself as the coach and promptly pulled the bats out of my bag and said, “son, pitchers don’t bat.” I was thrilled that I was a pitcher. I threw that first day and although it was not my best outing, I got through it and they invited me back. That season and those that followed I met some great guys from all different places. I had teammates from every different background imaginable and even one or two from Texas. Not all of us spoke the same language, but once we got on the field, we all spoke baseball.

Playing for the Nine wasn’t always easy. I commuted from New Jersey 6 days week for practices and games, missing a lot of stuff with my friends who were playing locally. But I knew that I wanted to play at a higher level and the Nine gave me that opportunity. My hope was that baseball would get me into a great college. With the Nine, we traveled to Major Tournaments all over the country and I wound up traveling to over 8 states and in front of a ton of college coaches. The Nine also set me up with a coach, Frank, who had played in the majors and was willing to be my personal trainer in the winter to build my stamina and strength. Frank gave me the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic, his home, to train with local players and learn even more about baseball and the work it takes to be the best. It was so inspirational, I started a foundation with Frank to bring used baseball gear to people without the means to get it and help encourage them to stay in school and get an education. Without the New York Nine, I would never have had these opportunities to learn so much about myself on the road.

Just as my senior year began, the Nine suggested I come to a showcase they were co-hosting for Ivy League coaches. I knew I wasn’t Ivy League smarts but agreed to go. I must have made an impression because a few coaches asked for my transcript after that outing. Ultimately, the Ivy thing did not work out but I got a few solid offers from some well-known schools. But coaches talk and they may see a guy who has potential but maybe they don’t have a roster spot for but they know a coach who needs that guy. Because of that showcase, I saw the Stevens Tech coach at a lot of our tournaments and showcases.

The journey through sports to college is not always easy. A lot of coaches say a lot of things and make a lot of promises they don’t keep. You are their “number one pick” until you aren’t. I was lucky to have supportive parents and coaches who believed in me to help me get where I am today. No, I’m not playing D1 baseball but I am at an amazing school, playing competitive baseball and have great friends. Once you get to college, you realize how important your character is. It is not what you do but who are you. There are so many great ball players but they aren’t all great guys. But with the New York Nine, I had the chance to play with the best players in the area who were also great people. My overall experience with the New York Nine helped shape me into the mature, confident person I am today. No matter what happens with baseball, I will do great.

The 2018 New York Nine Winter Workout/Tryout has gotten off to a great start, as over 70 dedicated, quality student-athletes have joined us in preparation for their upcoming baseball seasons. With a wide range in age, this year’s participants are among some of the most athletic and projectable in recent memory.

After a dynamic warmup players were broken into small instructional groups and rotated between stations under the watchful eye of Nine coordinators, coaches and guest instructors. Former Yankees farmhand, Mariel Checo and Blue Jays farmhand, Francisco Gracesqui led the pitchers in a full workout including pre and post throwing arm care, as well as instructing the short bullpens. Josh Herzenberg, former Nine hurler, Texas area Scout and Rancho Cucamonga coach for the LA Dodgers assisted in the instruction and mechanical adjusting of our young hurlers. Queensborough CC pitching coach Alex Pangourelias worked individually with pitchers on proper mechanics. Queensborough CC Head Coach Roger Mischel focused players with positive visualization and mental preparedness techniques and drills, as well as a full high impact end of practice conditioning set.

Former A’s Area Scout Marcus Cayenne adjusted player approaches at the tee station as well as implemented and oversaw multiple drills which emphasized coordination and athleticism. Organizational hitting coordinator and projected 2018 major leaguer, Viosergy Rosa along with Juan Miguel Torres worked with infielders on proper approaches, body positioning, footwork and throwing mechanics. Rosa then worked with players individually on hitting approach. Fernelys Sanchez, former Braves organizational member and current co-director of player development, broke down proper outfield play and implemented frontline outfield drills. Sanchez also worked with players on their swing paths and achieving violence in the hitting zone. Flushing Head Coach Joe Gerloven and Bayside HS Assistant Coach Kevin Brown worked with players on offensive approaches and helped make needed adjustments.

It’s always enjoyable to see talented student-athletes hard at work sharpening their skills and having fun doing it.

The Mini Camp will be two sessions in December and will be the perfect opportunity to get back to work under the watchful eye of our coaches and guest instructors. It is also a time to work with our pro players who are home and preparing for their upcoming seasons and get your winter baseball fix in a safe environment, mindful of the off-season injury risks. At this time of year if a professional player isn’t doing something, you shouldn’t either.

We will focus on good reps with offensive and defensive adjustments made by the coaching staff. Pitchers will learn how to get stronger physically and mechanically in a way that will prepare them for the upcoming season while not taxing their arms during this recovery time period.

There will be a dynamic warm up and cool down as well as full sets of offseason conditioning. This will be a mini (camp) version of the acclaimed winter workout which follows in January and early February.

You do not have to be a member of the Nine, nor want to participate in the following summer to attend.

The Mini Camp will take place on December 10 and 17th from 8 am until 10 am.

The cost for the mini camp is $150. Please fill out the form at the bottom of the page to register and follow instructions for payment.

Our Winter Workout/Tryout is designed to improve an athlete’s skills and prepare them for the upcoming 2018 season. Our premium instructors will run drills which set and build upon the baseball foundation athletes need to succeed.

All potential New York Nine members will have the opportunity to showcase their tools, skills, desire to play the game and work ethic throughout the workout. Athletes will be analyzed by MLB scouts, front office personnel and college head coaches.

You do not have to be looking to play for the Organization for the upcoming summer season, just looking to join us for what has been deemed by many as the area’s best off-season clinic.

More information and sign up below:

Location & Dates:

email for info

Sunday January 7, 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11

All Players:

6:30 pm – 9 pm

Fees

The winter workout fee is $395 for 6 weeks of either the offense/defense or pitching component. If you wish to participate in both components add $100.

Catchers will participate in both components at no extra charge.

If you sign up for both the Mini Camp & Winter Workout, you will get a $50 discount.

Reservations:

To reserve your space at the workout, fill out the form below and follow directions for payment.

Yesterday the world lost an amazing person, family man and humanitarian, Gregg Lawton McNelis. He cared deeply about people and did all he could to help as many people as possible improve their personal situations. Along with his wife Susanne, McNelis sat on the board of the Children’s Dream Foundation as well as had personal involvement in many, many other charitable endeavors.

Growing up outside Newark, McNelis came from very humble beginnings. A fierce competitor who almost lost his arm in a machine related accident during his youth, Gregg led his Colonia high school varsity basketball team to a near New Jersey class 4-A title. Continuing his academic and athletic pursuits at Moravian College, where he was named team captain, he led the Moravian basketball team to a league title in the 1976-1977 season. McNelis and his teammates were honored just two days ago on October 8 at Moravian for the 40th anniversary of their improbable league championship, where his team is enshrined in their athletic Hall of Fame. Always humble and personable on the exterior he used this internal tenacity, relentlessness and tireless work ethic to ultimately elevate himself to the CEO position at TBS International.

Along with Susanne, the McNelis family quietly paved the way for the New York Nine to come into existence for the summer 2006 season. His son Brandon tore his labrum in a training accident. For months he embarked on a lengthy and grueling rehab process under the watchful eye of Scout Team Manager, Ian Millman, which led to a collegiate scholarship opportunity at Northeastern University and ultimately a draft selection by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

After this process, the McNelis family took the opportunity to repeatedly provide the resources needed to allow many lower income and disadvantaged student athletes have the same opportunities as Brandon. Gregg, Susanne McNelis and family have had a direct hand in dozens of young men using the game of baseball to improve themselves and as an admission tool to college and become quality fathers, brothers, co-workers and productive members of society. Gregg and Susanne always insisted it was about the young men and not about recognizing their own philanthropy. Even in leaner times the McNelis family made sure those in need were able to receive assistance. Every single current and former member of the New York Nine extend condolences to the entire McNelis family and are eternally grateful for your encouragement and support.

Gregg is survived by his wife Susanne, children Gregg Jr, Diana and Brandon and grandson Gregg III as well as many immediate and extended family members. The New York Nine will play the 2018 season in honor of their silent co-founder Gregg L. McNelis.

The 2017 New York Nine Scout Team saw some prodigious performances. The team was led by the 3 big bats in the middle of the order. The first is current Philadelphia Phillie, Carlos De La Cruz, (who hit .444/.496/.778) who was on the leaderboard for basically everything except stolen bases (and he stole 10 anyway). Next is New York Mets 38th round draft pick Danny Alfonzo (.344/.484/.581) who got hit by a Nine record 12 pitches this summer and has the bruises to show for it. Last but not least is current Western Oklahoma 1B, Danny Perez (.379/.511/.544). Perez once again showed his elite control of the strike zone, walking 26 times, after walking 38 times in 2016. While De La Cruz was pretty much the same guy all season, Alfonzo and Perez really came on strong once it was tournament season. Danny Alfonzo hit .368/.507/.702 and Danny Perez hit .439/.554/.684. Once Nick Vella was moved to the leadoff spot, he joined the 3 headed monster and hit .362/.456/.586. All season, all Angel Presinal did was hit and when the season ended, he looked up and was leading the team in hits, runs and stolen bases.

The team wasn’t led by a singular pitching performance this season, but rather a group that together always performed well and always gave the Nine a shot to win. Dimitri Papazoglou dominated tournaments this summer striking out 22 in 13.1 innings pitched and only allowing 1 unearned run. Austin Cole used his 6-7 frame to generate 43 strikeouts on the season, which will always give you a chance to win games. Anthony Costa just pounded the zone all summer and generated well above average ground balls and strikeouts to make the ERA leaderboard. Chris Pichardo was his normal self, always throwing well, winning baseball games (14 in 2 seasons) and setting the record for Wins in a single season.

Follow Us

New York Nine Testimonials

What sets this organization apart from every other travel ball team is their willingness and devotion to helping their players reach the next level. The New York Nine organization is run by great coaches who pride themselves on being loyal to their players and creating opportunities to showcase players to colleges and pro scouts. This organization gave me the opportunity to attend an elite academic school with a nationally ranked baseball program. I am grateful for their help and guidance.